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Glastonbury 2025: Your chance to play Worthy as talent contest details revealed

Paul JonesJanuary 23, 20250 Comment0

GLASTONBURY Festival organisers have unveiled details of this year’s Emerging Talent Competition – giving unsigned acts the chance to play at Worthy Farm.

Supported by PRS for Music and PRS Foundation, the contest gives new UK and Ireland-based acts of any genre the opportunity to bag a slot on one of the event’s main stages – as well as support as they forge their career.

However, artists have to get their skates on to enter, with entries open for just a week – from 9am on Monday (January 27) until 5pm on Monday, February 3.

Glastonbury co-organiser, Emily Eavis, said: “We know how hard it is for new acts to take their first steps towards a career in music – particularly with the challenges facing small venues in this country – so the Emerging Talent Competition is a hugely important part of Glastonbury’s annual calendar.

“I can’t wait to hear the entries from across all the musical genres. And it’s free to enter, so you’ve nothing to lose.”

Free to enter, the contest offers a top prize of a slot on a main stage, as well as a £5,000 Talent Development boost from the PRS Foundation to help take their songwriting and performing to the next level.

Two runners-up will also be awarded a £2,500 PRS Foundation Talent Development prize each.

Crispin Hunt, president of the PRS Members’ Council, said: “For more than 20 years the Emerging Talent Competition has discovered and nurtured new voices, created a global platform and offered musicians the opportunity to gain exposure in front of large audiences.

“Playing Glastonbury was one of the most amazing experiences of my career and I’d encourage all music creators to submit a song for a chance to perform at the world’s largest greenfield music and performing arts festival.

“With our charity arm, PRS Foundation, I’m proud that we continue to support artists and songwriters stepping up and into the live and festival scene.”

Becci Scotcher, senior grants and programmes manager at the PRS Foundation, added: “Each year the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition sees applications from the huge array of talent that are at the beginnings of their music career and from all over the UK.

“In partnership with our friends at Glastonbury Festival and PRS for Music, this is a fantastic opportunity for the next generation of music creators to not only win the coveted prize of performing at the legendary Glastonbury Festival but to also receive vital PRS Foundation funding support to develop their careers.

“This partnership has seen the winners and runners up go on to tour all over the UK and overseas, feature on legendary shows such as Later with Jools Holland, and even win the Mercury Prize.

“In what will be PRS Foundation’s 25th year, we are very much looking forward to seeing which talented artists apply this year.”

To enter, acts need to supply a YouTube link to one original song, plus a link to a video of themselves performing live.

Once entries are in, a panel of 30 UK music writers will help compile a longlist of 90 acts.

The longlist will then be narrowed down to a shortlist of eight artists by judges, including Glastonbury organisers Michael and Emily Eavis, before the live finals in Pilton decide the winning act.

For more details, and to submit your entry, log on to glastonburyfestivals.co.uk from Monday morning.